We used Zee's solution as a safety precaution on our old Transpac that had high freeboard. Our little Hobiecat grew up aboard from the time he was a kitten and never went overboard once in 10 years of cruising to Mexico and back and many trips to the Channel Islands.
It was only after we returned to San Diego and were in a marina next to a young lady who had a couple of cats in heat that Hobicat left on his own for a visit next door. My wife walked over, grabbed Hobie by the scruff of the neck and threw him into the drink! She then fished him out and but him back aboard our boat... he never wandered again!!
Actually, neither would I after that experience! Capt Phil

I guess you know it's important to rinse them off thoroughly. Cat fur absorbs water, and then they can poison themselves if the salt stays in their fur.

Both mine have now fallen. The second one was much smarter about it than the first. She rapidly found a piling, climbed up, jumped on to the boat next to me, got on the cabin top and then the bimini, and then made a flying leap of a jump onto the netting on the side of my cockpit. All four claws into the net. I wish I had a video of that!

Here in the Med sea water is incredibly salty, I've always figured that their tiny kidneys wouldn't be able to cope with all that salt if they lick themselves after a dunking, so they always get a good rinse in fresh.

Neither of our cats have fallen in for over a year until yesterday. Fluff hangs on the rudder (it sticks out of the water slightly) and makes an awful row and Puss climbs the rudder stock (open steering compartment) keeps quiet and gets greasy! We were pleased to find that she could climb the ladder yesterday. We did have a thick rope hanging over the stern but they never went for it, our stern cuts up out of the water and they always follow the water line so head straight for the top of the rudder. That's fine if we're on board but if we're not.....?